| Show where men fought and fell spurred by the effort efforts of miss georgia frair frazar a descendant de of an old revolutionary family and charles mf M higgins a wealthy manufacturer of prospect park west brooklyn the city tied fleg are taking steps to acquire for the erection of it rul editable table monument and a children childrens piny play round ground the plot ol 01 ground covering two city block blocks on part of the battle nf nt if island land was foucht in the revolutionary war on august 27 1778 1716 the plot lo 10 located between third and fifth streets and fourth and fifth avenues brooklyn and there are now only about ten houses on the entera plot which Is owned by the litchfield testate the reel rest of the land ie to r directly behind the row of houses in fifth avenue between third and fourth streets stands an old how tree marking the eite site of the old stone honiff nt at gowango Gowa nue nuo where an important engage input between the british and americans was fought the americans although inferior interior in num bers dislodged the british troops froni from the old stone louie which was used ss a fort and as a result washington ashington 17 was able to cross the east river with hie his arroy army thu thus caving saving tho the patriots from utter annihilation and virtually deciding the coun try a fate the old stone house of at govanus Is not visible J now and very few of the present generation know ta anything about aLo utIL lt the plot where it stands was very low much lower than the surrounding place sand and it a dumping ground As a result the historic house has burled buried by 16 A feet of arth A willow tree which stood at the i entrance ent ranco to he old house was also burled but 0 from its branches br rose another ullo tree pitr standing tand lne and it Is of this tree treo that lie the movement to uncover the old house and erect a I listing worn ment to the defenders af c f the country who fell there has received auh sm h an impetus mr higgins who altho although urh of irish extraction Is an ardent american patriot was touched by the survival of the old willow and looked upon it an a muto mute appeal to those cow now living to remember the men who ho fought ad and died that the country might become free forever fore vr ilia ills attention was called to the spot by a book written by miss fra zer in which she gives the history of the old stone house at govanus aliss 1 frazers attention was first called to the bouse by a painting executed by louis grube in 1846 1849 at the order of george an derron her granduncle miss fraier frazer spent her girlhood at the me hoine of her uncle thomas easton of newport it U I 1 to whom the painting had been tint and she took a great interest in the and the story attached to it at a dinner given recently by the prospect ClU citizens association at which mayor gonynor who la a neighbor waa was pre preal ro tit mr air hig gins arr arrid aed the of the gathering by hid his appeal for the restoration of the old stone louse house and the consecration of the plot surrounding it to the memory of the revolutionary heroes aho vho fell there lie said it wai was a patriotic shame hat that the historic spot should have been neglected so long mayor gaynor borough president steers and oth er or who were at the dinner let it be known that they were in to favor of the restoration of the old stone house hou and the board of estl estimate mate la Is ex peeled to make an appropriation for the purpose in the tho near future miss 1 fraier frazer who Is very indest about her con lection alth ath the matter told a reporter how aho came to discover the tite site of the old stone house after much research eald said the she 1 I found a bronie bronze tablet that had bad been erected miny m iny year years ago on the front 0 of the two story ory brick house ahm stands at the corner canter of fifth avenue and third street it was almost hidden by grime and lo 10 tho the thador of the L it contain this inscription under a picture of a battle field bifero on the of august 1776 out of brave maryland soldiers under tha th command of lord stirling were killed in combat with british troops under lord cora corn allis 1 I found that the old stone bouse house around which the battle battla was fought and which was alio also called the cortelyou house bad had been burled under it if feet of earth nobody knowing that it was famous 75 yeara years before the battle of at long island was fought in and around it it was built in 1609 by nicholas bechle a dutch colonist and in 1790 it passed to the Cort elyous the price being in 1818 the who now own it bought tho property from the Cort elyous it stood on an the banks of a brook emptying into govanus creek 15 or 20 feet below the present street level 11 and nd was famous as the largest and most substantial bouse house on long island at the time the spot became a it city dumping ground and la in 1816 1916 only the upper part of it was visible socie some one took away tho the iron iran brace that supported the roof root and the root felt fell in gradually it was cor coy ered up entirely but I 1 believe that when it Is unearthed oj od the lower portion of the house will b be found in a good state of preservation |
